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Thursday, April 7, 2011

Throwback Thursday: Italian Night

If you know me, you know I LOVE a good theme party. One of my previous positions was the Catering and Sales Manager at a local country club. That job also included planning all the decor for the annual Member/Guest golf tournaments and banquets. Each night had a theme, and there wasn't much decor budget to speak of. At least, when you are planning a party for 400!

So, as always, I got crafty and stretched my dollars by shopping for supplies at Garden Ridge and Hobby Lobby.

One of my favorite nights was the Italian Night that we did in 2005.

My vision was for it to be as kitschy as possible. I wanted it to look like an Italian restaurant under the Brooklyn Bridge threw up in that country club.

Sorry about the photo quality--our camera was not awesome.

So, in order to have the guests have a grand entrance, which you know I love, I had our on-site carpenter construct a raised walkway, which he painted to look like cobblestone, a la Venice. I wanted it to be like they were walking down an Italian Via with storefronts on each side.

Alongside of the raised walkway, I created some "water" with blue cellophane. The perfect touch was the roping on each side. The huge backdrops were rented from a local party warehouse, Hicks Convention Services.

For the roughly 50 tablescapes, I went with the classic red and white gingham tablecloth. Each centerepiece was under $20. I bought baskets at Garden Ridge and filled them with faux breads, dried pasta, and hankerchiefs. For the podium backdrop, I rented pipe and drape in three different colors to mimic the Italian flag.

For the food rooms, the chef and I collaborated on a Leaning Tower of Pisa ice sculpture. It was decorated with jars of dried spaghetti, grapes, and Italian flags.

And what's more classic Italian than some fresh grapes on a Corinthian column?